Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
Chapter 1: A Very Mayar Christmas
It was December 20th and Rae was at a loss. Christmas was five days away and yet... no-one seemed to realize it. "Christmas? What's that?" Dex asked her when she mentioned it. She gaped at the man, if a four armed alien could be called a man.
"What is... what is... ?! CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS! The biggest holiday of the season! Every entrepreneur's dream and nightmare rolled into one! Stores full to overflowing with people buying all sorts of things for the special people in their lives, housewives stocking up on ham and sweet potatoes and cheese! Soo~ much cheese. And pastry crust and mini-hotdogs and meatballs and chips and chocolate chips. All of this leading up to a family celebration around a large meal, or a table laden with finger foods, games, songs, stories, and the one thing that gets little kids so ramped up they can't sleep on the night of Christmas Eve... presents! Gifts of all sizes and shapes and necessities ranging from socks and toothpaste to pet toys to flowers to little things you put on your mantel and allow to collect dust! Christmas! The holiday where we sing of the Risen King and the hope that he brings! Christmas!" Rae ranted, waving her arms around frantically, trying to convey the enormity of the holiday. Dex just shook his head, causing the young woman to practically deflate. "Well... what about Thanksgiving? You ever hear about Thanksgiving? In the fall?"
"Is it another Christmas?" Dex asked, uncomprehending. Rae fell back into an empty booth with a whimper, left arm falling dramatically over her eyes.
"Why~? Why did I have to end up where my most treasured holiday's don't even exist?!" she moaned. Dex was amused, though it was hard to tell with his face.
"Well, what's to stop you from celebrating anyway?" he asked. Rae gave him an irritated glare.
"Anyone I'd want to celebrate it with doesn't even know what the word means! Do you know how irritatingly frustrating that is?!"
"Still... I'd say anyone you'd call family wouldn't object to a party," Dex said. Rae flopped her arm up over her head and pouted at her boss, a little amazed they had such a good working relationship.
"You have the superpower of making it really hard to pout, ya know that?" she remarked. Dex shrugged, unrepentant, and the young woman sat up with a sigh. "Still, you're mostly right, as always. Padme wouldn't object to less formal settings... but what about Obi-Wan and Anakin? I mean, how do Jedi celebrate? 'Oh, today was a good day. I think I shall meditate an extra ten minutes on how good today was,'" she said, speaking in a comical impression of a pious man. Dex chuckled. "Oh, or maybe, 'Peace and justice has been brought to the people of some planet, I shall do some extra sparring today in celebration.' Perhaps even, 'Well done, my Padawan, you have successfully managed to levitate a rock with The Force. Come, let us have some fruit to celebrate,'" Rae went on, causing Dex to move from chuckling to full on laughter. Rae smiled and climbed to her feet. "Right, well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask them," she remarked. Dex nodded and lumbered off while Rae finished her shift.
"Safe travels!" Dex called.
"Yes sir!" Rae replied with a smile as she danced out the door.
/*/
Padme was a bit surprised when she received notice that a special visitor was awaiting her in her chambers, but accepted it with all the poise of royalty. Her surprise only rose as she recognized the figure standing at her window, hands clasped behind a slim torso clad in a familiar dark green tunic. "Rae?" she asked. The young woman hummed.
"Your Majesty," she answered, not turning around, "I have a question for you."
"Then ask," Padme declared, curious.
"Have you heard of the holiday known as Christmas?" The queen tilted her head in confusion.
"No. Is it from your home?" she asked. Rae sighed, shoulders slumping slightly.
"Yes. A world wide holiday celebrated on the 25th of December without fail. Some make a bigger deal of the holiday than others, some celebrate it for different reasons, but just about everywhere, peoples' thoughts would turn to home, and to their fellow man, in joy and love. Wars were known to have paused, the soldiers crossing the battle lines to exchange makeshift gifts. One notably instance had soldiers exchanging empty shell casings and singing Christmas songs together for the night until the truce ended the next day," she explained, turning away from the window. "Would you like to hear why my family celebrated the 25th of December?"
"I would. Come, sit," Padme said, motioning toward the sofa. Rae smiled wearily at her and sat.
"In a small town, Nazareth, there lived a woman named Mary. In the sixth month of her cousin Elizabeth's pregnancy, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her. He greeted her as favored and loved by God. She was afraid, wondering what manner of greeting this was. But the angel told her not to be afraid and that she had been chosen to bear the Son of God, who would save his people from their sin. Mary asked, 'how shall this be, since I have known no man?' And the angel explained that with God, all things were possible. And so, the virgin conceived. Joseph, who was engaged to be married to Mary, did not wish for dishonor to come to her, and had decided to divorce her quietly. An angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for the child she bore was from the Lord. And so they were married. During the reign of King Herod in Israel, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the Empire should be taxed and all the citizens went to their towns to register with the census. Joseph, being of the line of David, took his wife away to Bethlehem. Mary was heavy with child, and rode on the back of a donkey across the arid plains of Israel. When they reached Bethlehem, the inns were full. After much searching, they were shown to a stable and allowed to sleep in the hay. Mary gave birth to her son and called him Emmanuel meaning, God with Us, though he is also called Jesus, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. Many miles away, likely several months previous, in a distant land there were three Wise Men who watched the stars. Not much is known about these three wise men, though there is a song called 'We Three Kings' that I believe is talking about them, but they traveled far to see Jesus. The child born King of the Jews," Rae told, with all the weight and importance of a well loved tradition, her eyes growing distant as though viewing past services. She shook her head. "But, the Three Kings, or Wise Men, are a story for another time. The baby, Jesus, King of the Jews, Son of God, is the main reason for the season... er... holiday. We celebrate his birth, the birth of our savior who died on a cross for our sins. He gave us hope for our lives and our souls. Granted, this may be some strange alternate reality where Christ doesn't exist. Still, it was among my favorite holidays," Rae finished. Padme was a bit entranced.
"It sounds like a wonderful holiday, Rae. I'm sorry we don't celebrate it like you do. Though... it does sound a lot like Life Day," she offered. Rae quirked an eyebrow, then shook her head.
"No, I'm not so sure it does, Padme. Well, the traditions of the tree and the decorations and the present might be, but the Story? The Greatest Story Ever Lived? No. I don't think so," she said. "I wish I had my bible, so I could be sure the details were correct. I'd love to read it to you, Anakin, and Obi-Wan... if you'd all agree to come over for Christmas that is."
"Well, even if you don't have the book, I wouldn't mind coming over," Padme offered. Rae grinned.
"Great! I'll take care of the food and Jedi, you take care of getting yourself there, okay? OH! And... is there... anything you want? Some item you'd like but haven't had the time to get?" she said, suddenly turning from chipper and excited to nervous and shy. Padme giggled at the sight, imagining the woman toeing the ground like a chastised child.
"Well, I would rather like having something to fiddle with during Senate meetings," she said slyly, "and it is rather difficult to find something small enough to smuggle in." Rae leapt to her feet and snapped off a salute with a smirk.
"Say no more, M'lady! I know just what to get," she told the Queen before she swept her a bow and headed for the door. "I'll be expecting you around one o'clock on Saturday! Call if something comes up!" she called back just before the door closed behind her. Padme chuckled again and turned to her duties, her mood significantly improved.
/*/
Rae stared at the massive structure of the Jedi Temple and felt very small. Seeing a Jedi and her Padawan returning to the large marvel of engineering, Rae waved. "Hallo, Mistress Jedi!" she called, jogging over. The woman stopped and regarded the Human coming toward her with a pleasant kind of detachment.
"How might I help you?" she asked.
"Well, you see, I wanted to invite Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young charge to a celebration I'll be holding this Saturday, but the temple is..." Rae looked up at the pyramid and shuddered slightly, "daunting. Would it be possible for you to pass on my invitation?" she finished, holding out a note she had written, which included directions to her apartment as well as the time. The Jedi nodded with a distant smile and took the piece of paper. "My thanks, Mistress Jedi! I wish you well," Rae told her cheerily before dipping into a slight bow and turning on the ball of her foot to stride away. She just barely heard the Jedi tell her Padawan,
"Did you notice the way she moved? She is a trained fighter." Rae scoffed.
"Partially trained, Mistress Jedi, not deaf!" she called over her shoulder without pause, missing the startled jerk of the Jedi's spine, the sudden stiffening of her shoulders. There were more important things on Rae's mind than startled Jedi Masters and confused Padawans, things like where to buy a ham and how many different types of cookies she should make for her guests.
/*/
When Master Caelum delivered the note, she appeared to be somewhat rattled, Obi-Wan thought. "Master Caelum, what is the matter?" he asked.
"The young woman who passed me the invitation, Obi-Wan. She was... odd. A trained fighter who was daunted by the Temple, likely there for the first time. She heard me when I remarked upon the way that she turned, and told me she was 'partially trained, not deaf' as she was walking away!" Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow at the unusually ruffled Jedi.
"Let me guess: five ten, dark brown hair to her shoulders, blue-green eyes, green tunic, white utility belt, brown pants, and combat boots?" he asked. Caelum blinked, then nodded.
"Yes, with a pale complexion," she added.
"That would be Rae," Obi-Wan said, finally looking at the note. "Yes, she signed her name here," he said, holding the note out for his fellow Jedi to see. Caelum's face went a shade paler.
"You've been invited to celebrate with the woman who challenged Master Windu... and won?!" she asked. Obi-Wan chuckled, tucking the piece of paper safely into his robes.
"She's quite an amazing life-form. I look forward to this Christmas she's hosting," he said. With a nod to the stunned woman outside his chambers, Obi-Wan closed the door and headed toward his young apprentice. "Deshi~! We're going over to Rae's on Saturday. Let's show her how far you've come since the last time we were there, yes?" Anakin hopped up for his meditation with a whoop and tugged his chuckling sensei toward the practice rooms.
/*/
Dex smiled as he listened to Rae's humming as she wiped down the tables, merrily dancing around the patrons. A few decorations had made their way into the diner and the smell of cookies was tantalizing. "What's cooking, Dex?" an old regular called.
"A beautiful little thing called Shortbread Cookies!" Rae answered instead, just as the time went off. "Oh! Dex! Could you pull that batch out please? I'll be there in a moment to prep the next one!"
"Yes ma'am," the large alien called cheerfully, already donning an oven mit and opening the oven. The smell intensified as he pulled the cookie sheet out and set it next to the cooling racks. Nodding to himself, he began to transfer the already cooled cookies to a presentation rack. Just as he was placing the last cookie, Rae breezed into the kitchen, deftly turning on the water and washing her hands before rolling out more balls of dough and pressing a cross-hatch pattern into them with a floured fork.
"Eleven more minutes," she muttered, sliding the sheets into the oven and bumping it closed.
"And you're sure we can't sell some of these?" Dex asked, eying the beautiful arrangement of crisp white cookies.
"Only if you'll let me cook more for my party using your oven!" Rae answered.
"Done!" Dex said, snapping out bags and sliding four cookies into each. A wire basket was pulled from somewhere, a '5 credits' sign was tacked on, and out went the cookies. Rae rolled her eyes and pulled the diner's whiteboard toward her. Uncapping the marker she said,
"That's not going to incite our customers to buy them, Dexter." A moment later, she put the sign out and placed the presentation rack beside it.
'Shortbread cookies, a seasonal treat baked in house with love and joy!
Two free with any purchase of six credits or more.
Ask about our special Gift option!'
Dex chuckled. "You do realize that means you're going to be baking a lot of cookies, right?" he asked. She shrugged.
"As long as I get a cut of the cookie profit, I'm good. And if you'll pay part of the cost for ingredients," she said. Dex laughed.
"Deal! Any other cookie recipes you'd like to try on our customers?" Rae hummed, tapping her chin and leaving a tiny grease spot.
"I might be able to do chocolate chip cookies. Too bad I don't remember the recipe for Welsh Cookies, they're cooked on an electric grittle and with your facilities, I could cook a good number of them at once." She shrugged. "Let's just stick with offering shortbread for now. I'll experiment with chocolate chip at my apartment and if I get it right, I'll make some fresh here. Deal?"
"Deal," Dex said with a nod. They shared a smile and Rae went back out to servicing the tables out front. The next time she came back, Dex activated the serving droid and pointed Rae toward the supplies she'd need for another batch of shortbread. "Five customers got cookies while you were out. We'll need more, and I want you to be the one answering questions about that 'gift option,'" he told her. She rolled her eyes, but got to work baking. By the end of the day, they'd sold almost two dozen gift bags of six cookies and given out another dozen and a half with meals. There were only two cookies left when they closed.
"To spreading a bit of extra cheer and a job well done," Rae said, holding out one of the last pair to Dex. The alien chuckled and took it.
"To my best decision since opening the restaurant," he said, saluting her with the cookie. Chuckling, they both bit into their treats, Rae's eyes fluttering closed with a soft moan of pleasure. Dex smiled once more as he watched the tension drain out of her shoulders. "Thank you, Rae. Take off, you've got a busy day tomorrow," he told her.
"Aye aye, El Capitan!" she said, snapping him a salute before gathering up her purse. "I'll be trying out those chocolate chip cookies tonight. Want me to bring you a sample of my endeavors in the morning?"
"I'd like that," Dex confirmed. "Stay safe out there."
"You know it!"
/*/
It was the morning of the 24th, and Rae's attempt at chocolate chip cookies had not gone as well as she had hoped. Still, she dutifully packed up a small sample of her efforts to take to Dex. As she was picking up her purse, she noticed something underneath it. 'Dear Rae, as a reward for managing to adapt to this world you've found yourself dropped into, as well as your good attitude and successfully bringing a bit of cheer and hope to the people in your life, I'm giving this back. You cannot post anything and all news from your old life cannot reach you, but beyond that all its functions are intact. The charger is in your room. Oh and, I gave it permanent access to the internet of your home dimension.
Merry Christmas,
The Writer.' Rae stared at the note for a minute before turning her attention back to the device her purse had hidden.
"My Ipad?" she whispered, reaching out a shaking hand. Sure enough, it was real. Deciding she could be late for once, Rae picked the device up and opened the case. With trembling fingers, she typed in her code and tapped on the bible app. The immortal words were there, stark white against black, just as she had left them. She hugged the Ipad to her and looked up.
"Thank you, Writer, for giving me this and thank you Lord, for giving me such a kind Writer!" she declared to the heavens before taking her Ipad, purse, and semi-failed cookies out the door and away to Dex's Diner.
"Someone's happy," Dex remarked. Rae laughed as she put do her purse and held out the cookies.
"The cookies weren't quite right but I have a way to find the recipe and so many others!" she cheered. Dex quirked an eyebrow and Rae held out the Ipad. "This... was a graduation gift from my grandmother," she said, the other eyebrow joining its mate as Dex processed what that meant.
"It's from your old home?" he asked. Rae nodded, eyes bright.
"The Writer, who pulled me from my home and put me on Queen Amidala's ship delivered this to me as a reward slash Christmas present! I can't contact anyone from my past life, but I can watch videos, search recipes, listen to music, and read my bible! This," Rae said, holding up the Ipad once more, "is my treasure, Dex. And I'm going to use it for your diner. All the recipes of Earth are at my finger tips."
"Well, why don't you start with those Welsh cookies?" Dex prompted. Rae's eyes went bright and she feverishly typed away, trying to find the recipe she'd been craving.
"Aha! I need flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, eggs, milk, and margarine," she called. Dex nodded and pulled out the ingredients as she called them out. "Wow, you had all that? Cool," Rae said, eying the line up. "I'm also going to need a sifter, a pastry cutter, a large mixing bowl, a knife, a rolling pin, and a fairly large serial and floured area to roll the cookies out on. And a small to medium glass. Oh! Currents! I'll need a cup of currents too."
"Currents? I don't have those, but I know where you could buy some," Dex said, already moving.
"OI! I can't cook the full menu yet! I need the cook!" Rae called back.
"It's still early and the shop's not far. I'll be right back," Dex countered, already out the door. Rae sighed and shrugged, noticing that he'd pulled out the equipment while she was talking.
"Sneaky man," she muttered, slipping on an apron and preparing to sift the dry ingredients together. Just as she was done with everything but the currents and margarine, Dex returned with... "My currents!" Rae cheered, holding out be-floured hands for the little yellow-orange box. Dex chuckled and passed it over to the eager woman. "Thank you, Boss!" she cheered, opening the box. "You get the first one!"
"I'm honored," Dex said, preparing for the first order. Rae chuckled and mixed in the currents. Before she began cutting in the margarine, Rae turned to her Ipad and, with a few deft swipes and taps, had it playing music unlike anything Dex had heard before.
"It's the Jingle Bell Rock!" Rae sang along, swiftly chopping up the margarine in the dry mix. Dex watched carefully as she whisked the eggs and milk together with a fork.
"How many times have you done this?" he asked.
"On my own? This will be the second," Rae answered, testing the consistency of the dough. "Do I have a place to roll out my dough?"
"Here," Dex answered, sweeping a handful of flour over a clean counter.
"Thank you," Rae replied, rolling the rolling pin through the flour to coat its surface. Dex's attention to pulled away by the sound of a customer entering and Rae was left to her baking endeavors.
/*/
The Welsh Cookies were just as big a hit as her Shortbread and inquiries were made into what kind of options there were for the Gift mentioned on the sign by the cookies. Rae was a little surprised at the interest in her cookies. "One would think I was opening a bakery!" she remarked after the third inquiry.
"Are you?" another customer asked. Rae gaped at him, then turned to Dex.
"The breakfast menu could use expanding, and you did want to learn how to cook," he said. Rae shook her head and smiled at the curious man.
"Not at the moment, but we shall be considering permanently expanding our menu. For now, these baked goods shall be a limited time offer," she answered. He nodded.
"Okay, but if all your treats are as good as these," he held up a shortbread cookie, "I'd buy from you." This sentiment was echoed through the diner and Rae felt her face grow hot.
"I'm glad you've all enjoyed my cookies," she said before ducking back into the kitchen as her timer went off. Dex met her back there a few moments later. "Hey boss, I'm gonna have to cut the diner off in a bit so I can have cookies for my guests," she told him.
"Once this batch is done you're free to cook for your party," he informed her. She grinned at him.
"Thanks, Boss. You're awesome," she told him. "I'll bring any left overs over for you on Sunday, alright?"
"Oh, you don't have to."
"Think of it as a 'thanks for everything' gift," Rae said.
"Oh, you're services as a pastry chef and bouncer are more than enough," Dex protested. Rae sighed.
"Well, alright. But if you change your mind, let me know, alright?" Dex chuckled.
"Yes ma'am," he told her.
/*/
Finally, the moment arrived. The gifts were wrapped, the table set, the music playing, the Ipad charging, and the ham was cooking. Rae eagerly bounced to answer the door and waved her only female friend in. "Come, come! I have tea and cookies on the card table and a nest prepared for unwrapping gifts and listening to The Christmas Story!" she said in welcome. Padme laughed and allowed herself to be swept up in her friend's exuberance.
"I brought you something as well," she began, drawing her bag around. Rae stopped her with a hand.
"Did you wrap it?" she asked. Padme shook her head and Rae clicked her tongue. "There's paper and tape in my room. Go wrap it!" she practically ordered, pointing down the hall. Padme smiled but bowed and moved off to wrap the gift she had brought. Rae allowed herself a giggle as she moved back into the kitchen to finish prepping the last few dishes. Soon, Padme was back and placing her gift, carefully addressed to Rae, with the rest of the gifts under what appeared to be a tree covered in paper snowflakes, gingerbread men, and popcorn strings with a large, slightly unbalanced, star on top. A knock came at the door and Padme was already halfway up when Rae answered it.
"Something smells wonderful, Rae," Obi-Wan's voice declared.
"I spent the better half of the morning cooking, so I sure hope so!" Rae countered with a chuckle.
"May we come in?"
"Of course! Of course! If you have any gifts, make sure they're wrapped and place them under the tree. If not, that's just fine! I have a special tea my mother used to make on the card table along with a selection of cookies and a nest of blankets in front of the tree so make yourselves at home. I'll be there in just a moment, I just need to retrieve the Christmas gift my Writer sent me," Rae said, directing the duo into her home. Obi-Wan shared a mildly bewildered look with Anakin before entering. Neither had gifts for either of the women and instead took cups of tea and a white cookie each.
"Her Writer?" Obi-Wan asked Padme. The young queen shrugged.
"I'm as lost as you are," she said quietly. Rae returned with her own tea and cookies... as well as an archaic looking datapad.
"This... was a present from my grandmother for graduating highschool," Rae said, presenting the device. "And now... I'd like to share the story of the first Christmas with you." Her guests scooted closer and Rae smiled before reading from Luke 1:1 until Luke 2:21. "And that... was one version of the Story of Christ's Birth," Rae finished before turning back to her tea. Her three guests shared bewildered looks as Rae searched through the other Gospels to find the story of the Wise Men. "Would you like to hear of the Wise Men who came to give honor to the newborn king?" she asked when she had found it.
"Yes please," Padme asked, Anakin nodding beside her. Rae smiled.
"Matthew chapter 1, beginning in verse 1. 'After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem... '" she began and ended her reading with, "'Having been warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee and came and settled in a town called Nazareth in order to fulfill what was said by the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene." And so ends that part of the story of Jesus."
"So... why do you exchange gifts?" Obi-Wan asked. Rae smiled at him.
"To celebrate the gift that God gave to us in the form of his one and only son, Jesus, whom he loved. Jesus was our salvation from sin, open to everyone who would hear and accept him. He was our hope. We give gifts to show love, affection, and to spread hope, joy, and the love of the Lord. For some back home, it was just a commercial holiday for buying and getting, but not my family. For us, it was love, joy, peace, and a time to come together for fun and stories and food and, of course, gifts. My gift to all of you is food, drink, company, and stories from another dimension. If you like it this year... maybe we can do something similar next year?" she said. All three smiled at her.
"It's important to you, and it's a nice thing to do. Why wouldn't we?" Anakin said. Rae laughed just as the oven timer went off.
"And that's the ham!" she said, hopping up.
"Ham? It's only three in the afternoon!" Padme said. Rae rolled her eyes.
"I never said I was the best at timing, now did I? Besides, it's my first time hosting a Christmas Dinner! Cut me a little slack would ya? Besides, I need to put the finishing touches on the greens, and the rolls need to go in the oven, not to mention the potatoes still need mashing," she said. Soon, the kitchen was bustling as everyone pitched in to put dinner on the table. By the time everything was set, it was five o'clock. "Ready for dinner now?" Rae asked, quirking an eyebrow at her guests. Anakin's stomach answered that question as it grumbled loudly. The adults laughed and they all sat down to eat. "Dear Lord, thank you for this meal. Thank you for dear friends to share it with. Thank you for sending your Son down to Earth. Thank you for the gift of his teachings. Thank you that through the sacrifice of the Spotless Lamb, the Son of God, my sins are paid for and my life is ransomed back to you. This galaxy I've found myself in is wide and diverse and none I have come to know who you are Lord, and I find myself wondering if you can hear me here, but still I thank you for the good that has come my way this year. From my favorite tea to my job to my apartment to the clothes on my back, I give thanks to you that I might have these things. Bless this food, Lord, may it nourish our bodies. Bless our conversation, Lord, that it may nourish our spirits. In your great and mighty name I pray, Lord God, amen. Let's eat."
"You have much to be thankful for it seems," Obi-Wan remarked. Rae shrugged with a wry smirk.
"I missed Thanksgiving so I had to get it all in there. Besides," she said, passing the green beans, "Christmas is as much a time for thanks as it is for giving, and the Lord God has given me much, even here."
/*/
After the meal, Rae distributed the gifts. Padme peeled back the bright paper from the box Rae handed her and blinked at the cube within. "Rae? What is this?" she asked, Obi-Wan leaning over in curiosity.
"A rubix cube! Or, something similar anyway. It's a puzzle cube. You have to try to line up all the colors so that each of the six sides are a solid color. I've never been able to solve one, but it's something to do with your hands," Rae explained.
"Thank you," Padme said with a bright smile. Rae answered it with one of her own that lit up her face.
"You're quite welcome! Now, here's one for Anakin. I know Jedi aren't big on the whole possessions thing, but training equipment should be fine, right? And these should help protect you," Rae said, turning to the two Jedi with nearly identical parcels in her hands.
"It's rude to turn down gifts," Obi-Wan said, accepting the package from the young woman. She chuckled.
"Oh just open it!" she said, bouncing slightly. Obi-Wan acquiesced and blinked at the sturdy, black, fingerless gloves that had been wrapped in the paper.
"Rae... what are these?" he asked, picking one up while Anakin gleefully tugged his own, significantly smaller, pair on.
"Tactical gloves. Notice the padding over the knuckles? That's extra protection against the force of a punch, and the lack of fingers is, originally, so that you can still pull the trigger on a blaster but for a Jedi, I guess it can be used for activating your lightsaber. The palms are rough enough that not even a polished staff with slip. Trust me, I checked," Rae explained. Obi-Wan blinked at her. She rolled her eyes. "I bought a pair for myself when I was buying yours."
"Rae..."
"Oh, please don't tell me you can't keep them!" she moaned, falling back into the nest of blankets she'd made. Obi-Wan chuckled.
"No, that's not it. I'm just... touched," he said, pulling the gloves on and flexing his fists. "And they fit perfectly." Rae grinned.
"I thought they would. My Intuition lead me to them," she said. Obi-Wan nodded.
"It did not lead you wrong," he remarked. Padme smiled and handed Rae her own gift.
"Merry Christmas, Rae," she said. Rae beamed as she ripped the paper off and gaped at what lay behind it.
"Is this... a real... glow ball!?" she asked, lifting the small globe from it's box. Padme laughed.
"Yes, it is," she said happily.
"Thank you!" Rae cheered, tackling the younger woman to the blankets. The four spent the rest of the night laughing at telling stories until it was time for them all to go their separate ways.
"Good night, Rae. Thank you for the dinner," Obi-Wan said with a bow.
"And thanks for the gloves!" Anakin cheered, waving his gloved fists. Rae laughed and gave them each a hug.
"You're very welcome. Stay safe alright?"
"We will!" Anakin assured her, Obi-Wan nodding stoically behind him.
"I'd best head out as well. Thank you for sharing this holiday with us," Padme said, giving Rae a hug as well.
"No, thank you. Without you three, I wouldn't have had a Christmas at all!" Rae declared. More smiles and hugs went round before the three visitors left to the sound of Silent Night. Rae sighed as the door slid shut and she was alone once more. "Merry Christmas to all and to all... a Good Night," she remarked, turning to put all the left overs away. She decided to leave the paper and blankets for the next day and instead grabbed her pillow and bedded down in her living room.
/?/
A/N: Okay, so giving her her Ipad for Christmas might be pushing it a little bit but... I really wanted her to have Christmas Music and Welsh Cookies! Besides, I've already established that she has bouts of Mary Sueism. So, the Ipad addressed, what did you think? Reviews are love!